Syringe



May 16, 1961 w. J. HOQPER 2,984,452

SYRINGE Filed Sept. 4 1958 lovsrro-rok, Qiniomfk QjQ-(oope/ (latam, MM lf United States Patent O SYRINGE William J. Hooper, Principia College, Elsah, Ill.

Filed Sept. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 762,194

3 Claims. (Cl. 251-228) The present invention relates to cleaning sprays and more particularly to sprays for individual home use and adapted to be operated with one hand by the user. In prior Patents 2,208,031 and 2,208,032 I described a spray construction which included a number of novel and useful features. It is the purpose of the present application to disclose and claim an improved construction possessing a number of important advantages which are considered to be novel. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning spray which has an improved valve arrangement which is not only quick-acting and highly sensitive, but which also provides leakproof operation over long periods of time and in spite of repeated daily use. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning spray which may be more cheaply manufactured than the prior sprays, and which is easily and quickly assembled, using a minimum number of parts. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cleaning spray which possesses a maximum of convenience andreliability.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon inspection of the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a general external perspective of a cleaning spray incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 2-2 in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a crosssection taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detailed perspective showing the valve member and associated valve spring.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of a modified form of the present device.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the spray includes a cylindrical body portion 11 having a valve chamber 12 and an outlet 13. Cooperating with the outlet 13 is a nozzle 14 which is preferably screwed into the body portion as shown. At the other or left-hand end of the body portion is a cap 15 which is connected to a hose 16, the cap being provided with a thread 17 which permits easy removal for cleaning or the like. As shown in Figure l, the hose 16 is connected to a faucet 18 by means of an appropriate fitting. In use, discharge is controlled by means of a push button 20, which penetrates the side wall of the spray.

Turning attention more particularly to the internal construction, a valve seat is provided surrounding the outlet 13, the valve seat consisting of an annular washer 21 of rubber or the like. Cooperating with the valve seat is a valve member 25 having a base 26. The valve member is loosely fitted within the valve chamber and adapted to be bodily tipped by the push button in order to break the seal and permit fluid to flow at a controlled rate. In the illustrated form of the invention, the valve member 25 is of truste-conical shape, and extends longitudinally in the spray body. In order to keep the base of the valve member normally seated on the valve seat, a longitudinal spring 30 is provided. This spring is 2,984,452 Patented May 16, 1961 ICC shaped somewhat similarly to a golf tee, having aneckeddown portion 31 which engages the valve member and having an enlarged portion 32 for gripping the inside wall of the spray body. Preferably, the enlarged portion 32 has a normal diameter which is somewhat larger than the inside diameter of the body portion, causing the spring to press outwardly and developing sufficient friction so that the spring, once inserted, is maintained in the desired position. For the purpose of locating the spring accurately relative to the valve seat and to permit quick and easy assembling, the body portion has an internal shoulder 33 which engages the first loop of the portion 32 of the spring. Preferably, the spring may be so formed that the first loop lies in a plane which is at right angles to the axis of the spring.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the spring 30 engages the valve member 25 at a point which is laterally offset from the axis of the valve seat, and means are provided for preventing the valve member from rotating relative to the body portion of the spray. Rotation in the present instance is prevented by providing a tongue projection 35 on the valve member, which is received in a longitudinal groove 36 which is formed in the inside wall of the body portion. Preferably, the projection and groove are located opposite the push button 20 and in the vicinity of the base l26 of the valve member. Thus, when the push button is operated, the valve member tends to rock about the projection 35 as a fulcrum. It has been found that this fulcruming provides a number of worthwhile advantages. For example, the control characteristics afforded by the push button 20 may be varied by locat ing the fulcrum 35 a small amount backwardly or forwardly of the position shown. When the fulcrum is in its most forward position, it is found that operation of the push button causes the valve member to be lifted clear of the valve seat when the push button is fully depressed, thereby providing maximum rate of flow.

In order to insure a high sealing pressure at the valve seat, the base of the valve member is preferably relieved at the center to provide an upraised annular surface 26a. The valve member 25 is constructed of relatively hard, wear-resistant material, such as Lucite, so that the surface 26a remains true and the valve member remains undeforined regardless of the amount of pressure which may be applied to the push button 20. It is found in practice that the ow control characteristics remain the same over long periods of time, and that the device requires substantially no care or maintenance.

When maintenance is required it is a simple matter to remove the cap 15, following which the spring 30 and the valve member 25 may be withdrawn. Solid particles which might interfere with the valve action are trapped by a screen 37, which is snugly fitted against the input side of the spring 30.

The spray described above is particularly well adapted for dental use. It will, however, be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to a dental spray, but is equally applicable to other types of spray devices or to a douche, as shown in Fig. 5. In Figure 5, similar reference characters have been applied with subscript a, to similar parts. The device includes, in addition, a modified nozzle 14a having a ow adjuster 40. The flow adjuster consists of a thumb screw 41, which is screwed into a threaded bushing 4.2. The bushing is provided with longitudinal slots and the adjustment of the thumb screw serves as a convenient control of the flow area.

The valve arrangement described above avoids use of internal threads deeply located in the body portion, and it has been found that the body portion may be molded of Lucite or similar thermoplastic material at a much lower. cost"tl1an pfriordevices,including those shown' in the patents mentioned above.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changesfftherefore, in theV construction-and arrangement may. be 'made "without departing from the'spirit and scopeyof the .invention asdisclosedin the appended claims. 'Y

1. -In a -spray for individual Yhome Vuse and vadapted tofbe operated with one hand by `the Vuser including Va hollow cylindricalbody portion having an outlet at one end and provision for admitting liquidV at the other end, said body portion providing an internal annular valve seat surrounding said outlet, valve means comprising: a'valve-member having a base for cooperating with said valve seat, said valvelmember being `of truste-conical form and loosely fitted in said body portion, means including a spring for applying axial pressure to said valve -member to maintain said valve member normally seated on the valve seat, Ymeans including a push button pene- -trating the wall of said body portion for applying manual pressure laterally to one portion of `the valve member for-lcontrollablyunseating the same, and a radial projection on oneof the Avalve members and body portion, recess means on the other'ofthe valve member and body portion, said projection being pivotally received in the recess means precluding substantially all rotation of theuvalve member about the axis of the body vportion thereby to rmaintain saidone portion of the valve member-in position to have said push `button means apply manual Apressure thereto.

'2. In v,a spray for individual home use `and 'adapted to be operated with one hand by the user including a ,hollow cylindrical body portion having an outlet at one end and provision `for admitting liquid at the other end, said body portion providing an internal annular -valve lseat :surrounding said outlet, valve means comprising: Aa valve member having a base `for cooperating with Asaid valve seat, said valve.,member being of generally frusto-conica1-form and loosely tted in said body portion, means including a spring for applying axial pressure to said valvemember-tofmaintain said valve member normally seated on the'valve seat, andnmeans including a push button penetrating the wallof'saidbody portion for VKapplying manual pressure .laterally to one lportion of Athe valve member for controllably `unseating thesam,e, `said body V.portion ,having a longitudinal,grooveformed Y A l.

" in `rits'inner wall and said valve member having' a'lateral vprojection pivotally received in the groove, said projection being substantially equal in width to the Width of the groove to preclude effectively movement of the proijection circumferentially of the axis of the body portion to maintain said one portion of the valve member in position to have said push button means apply manual pressure thereto, thereby to prevent twisting movement of the valve member relative to said inner Wall, said projection further havngan extent radially of the body portion axis proper tozposition the valve member substantially coaxially of the valve seat when said valve member is-seatedthereon.

3. In a spray for individual home use and adapted to be operated with one hand by the user including a hollow cylindrical body portion having an outlet at one end and provision for admitting liquid at the other end, said body portion providing an internal annular valve seat surrounding -said outlet, valve means comprising: a valve member Ahaving a base portion for sealing engagementwith said valve seat and loosely tted in said body portion for limited tipping movement, means .including a manual push button penetrating the wall.of the bodyrportionand engaging said valve member for tippingly unseating .the same, means including a loose tongue and groove connection between the interior Wall of the ,body and the valve member -for preventing rotational vmovement of the valve member aboutfthe axis of the body while permitting said limited tipping movement, a spring for applying axial `pressure to said` valve memberv for normally maintainingsaid valve member in seated position, sadspring having a ltip portioncontacting'the valve member and having an enlarged portion remotejfrom said valve member retained -against movement longitudinally through the bodyportionaway from the valvemember solely. by frictional engagement with vthe inner wjall of ,said body portion.

"References Citedinithe ile of thispatent UNIEDSTATES PATENTS V.2,208,031 Hooper July 16 1940 2,208,032 Hooper ...v. July .16, 1940 .2,592,136 .Garvey Apr. 8, 1952 2,761,462 Snyder Sept. 4, 19,56

` Y `FOREIGN 'PATENTS `537,659 Canada of-1957 

